Probability of Having Any Disability

The Census Bureau reports that approximately 13.3% of Americans (42.5 million people) have some type of disability. Disability prevalence varies significantly by age: about 3% of children under 18, 10.8% of working-age adults (18-64), and 46.7% of adults 75 and older have a disability.

The most common disability types are mobility (walking or climbing stairs, 6.7% of population), cognition (concentrating, remembering, or making decisions, 5.1%), independent living (doing errands alone, 4.6%), hearing (3.5%), vision (2.3%), and self-care (bathing or dressing, 2.5%). Many people have multiple disability types.

Disability rates are higher among women, people with lower education levels, and certain racial/ethnic groups (American Indians/Alaska Natives have the highest rates). The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted in 1990, prohibits discrimination and requires reasonable accommodations. Despite legal protections, people with disabilities face significantly lower employment rates (about 21% vs 65% for people without disabilities), lower median earnings, and higher poverty rates. The estimated annual extra cost of living with a disability in the US ranges from $9,000 to $28,000 depending on disability type.